The Lead and the Hook

One thing about us is that we look so much alike that even our siblings and relatives find it difficult to differentiate us, those days in school we were always flogged for something done by one of us. There was this incident between Mike and one senior student when we were in JSS two and honestly there was no way I could have said that it was him because I knew what they would do to Mike so when he denied that he wasn’t the person that did it, I also denied that it wasn’t me so both of us ended up being flogged mercilessly by the senior prefect for throwing orange at a senior.

I wasn’t good academically and to me going to school was a waste of time, it was difficult for me picking what was being taught and I hated mathematics so much that every time the maths teacher came into the class, I would walk out. Mike was a bright student and sometimes I ask myself how I made it to JSS two but the answer is simple, we sat next to each other and were never separated so copying from Mike enabled me to pass all exams but one funny thing was that copying from him was also a big problem because despite the fact that I was very slow in learning, I was slower in writing so most times, Mike would finish his work then do mine and we were never caught for cheating.

During our JSS three final examination, it took him about thirty minutes to answer all the questions then gave me his work to submit as mine then went on to do my own stuff but after that exam, I knew that it will never continue that way because he wanted to be a medical doctor and will be going to the special science school. However, he wanted me to take the exam with him but I had a different idea because we lost our Dad that year and Dad was the sole provider in the family, our Mum was a small petty trader so I didn’t want to waste the little money the company paid our family after Dad’s death.

Mike passed the exam with distinction and emerged the best student of the year and that attracted a scholarship that would see him through the university. I was so happy for my twin brother because that scholarship was mine too. Mike was worried about me, and it’s been this way ever since we were born, you know twins, one always watch out for the other. And in our case, he was the stronger one, the lead while I was the hook. Twins if you don’t know has two components; one is the lead and the other the hook. Lead is the one that drives everything about them though hook is not just a follow-up but the lead drives him.

Mike was happy when Uncle Ben brought the news that he found me a place to learn auto parts trading at the ultra-modern new market, we were both happy but somehow sad because he was going to stay in the school hostel while I will leave the state to live with my master and it was the very first time we were going to be separated, somehow he would have abandoned school to go into apprenticeship with me but thanks to our Mum’s swift intervention and the fact that we listen to her so Mike faced his studies while I followed my master and I was going to stay away for six years which we both knew would be very difficult for us.

Life with my master was like undergoing the military training, he was a good man but very tough. However, it didn’t take me time to blend into the system and three years into my apprenticeship, Mike graduated from the secondary school then visited me before leaving for USA to study medicine in one the Universities. That visit was a great reunion for us and among everyone that understood what it meant for us were my master’s twin daughters Karen and Sylvia. They were identical twins and three years younger than us, that reunion was also the first time my master met my twin brother, in fact let me simply put it this way, it turned out a family thing.

Mike was supposed to study for six years so by the time he was half way into studies, I was done with my apprenticeship and my master settled me as if I was his biological brother, he gave me double of the money he was supposed to settle me with then left his small shop for me because he bought two bigger warehouses. I worked very hard and was already an importer of auto parts with established business links in Germany, Japan, South Korea and China by the time Mike finished from medical school and took two more years for his specialty. I have also bought my own house, has two cars and boys under me. In fact I was already made by the time he qualified as a gynecologist.

A lot of people laughed at me when Mike was in USA studying and I was serving my master to whom I owe everything I became and the day we opened Mike Specialist Hospital was the fulfillment of my dream and my biggest achievement because I started buying medical equipment from the very first trip I made oversea. I had a total of ten thousand dollars the very first time I traveled out of the country on a business trip to buy auto parts but I used part of that money to buy few medical equipment and it continued that way until I got everything in the list Mike gave me and Mike Specialist Hospital brought something else for us. Karen and Sylvia were both nurses and I tracked them all the way through.

In life, it is important for us to know exactly what we want, our dreams and aspirations. People are so good to be Lawyers for their mistakes and very good Judges for the mistake of others but what people think about you doesn’t matter rather the fact that you have dreams and every morning wake up to pursue them instead of sleep dreaming makes you a better you because the six years I spent under my master enabled me to understand Karen and Sylvia very well so after the grand opening of Mike’s hospital and the next thing in line was for us to get married to fulfill our childhood dreams to get married the same day and to marry twins,Karen who was already in love with me and Sylvia who spent a part of her life waiting for Mike were just our matches from heaven and not only did they brought us joy, we are going to be proud fathers in couple of months.